"…to encourage and support persons of color in Connecticut who are pursuing careers in public school teaching."

Theodore Martinez Is Alma Exley Scholar for 2018

Theodore Martinez of Windsor, a student at the University of Hartford, has been chosen as the Alma Exley Scholar for 2018. We will honor him at a reception in the spring, on a date to be announced soon.

Mr. Martinez is pursuing a Master of Education degree from the University of Hartford and plans to teach in an elementary school after receiving his degree in Decemberr. He has a Bachelor of General Studies, Human Services, from the University of Connecticut, and a Master of Science in Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University.

Raised by a single mother who came to Connecticut from Puerto Rico, he grew up in Hartford and Windsor. He graduated from the Metropolitan Learning Center, a magnet high school in Bloomfield operated by the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC).

While pursuing his master’s degree, he has been serving as an associate instructor at Glastonbury East Hartford Magnet School, a CREC school. Long active in advising and mentoring youths, he serves as program coordinator with Youth In Action, a program of the Windsor Youth Services Bureau. He was site director of “4th R,” an educational program of South Windsor Parks & Recreation, from 2012 to 2015. And he has served as an advisor to the Windsor Police Cadets since 2003.

Mr. Martinez joins 28 others whom we have honored over the past 22 years. They form an extraordinary network of teachers, principals and assistant superintendents. Many have been honored for their contributions to education and their communities.

Our selection committee is certain that he has a bright future as an outstanding educator.

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Alma Exley, a dedicated educator, was working at the Connecticut Department of Education to bring more people of color into the teaching profession. Since her death in 1995, the Alma Exley Scholarship Program has been carrying on her work.

How to Apply
The program annually awards one scholarship of at least $5,000 to a student of color in an accredited teacher-preparation program in Connecticut. The deadline each year is October 31. Learn about the application process.